Systems, devices, and methods for embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens

ABSTRACT

Systems, devices, and methods for embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens are described. A method of embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens includes applying a protective layer to a diffractive element, applying an interface layer to the protective layer, and applying a lens layer to the interface layer. The interface layer and the lens layer are each comprised of a resin material that hardens when cured. The interface layer is of a shape and thickness that adheres well to the protective layer after the interface layer is cured. The lens layer is of a shape and thickness that achieves the desired component shape of the lens after the lens layer is cured.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present systems, devices, and methods generally relate to eyeglasslenses and particularly relate to embedding a diffractive element in aneyeglass lens.

BACKGROUND Description of the Related Art

Eyeglass Lenses

An eyeglass lens is a transparent object that can be mounted in aneyeglass frame. Eyeglass lenses can be convex or concave in order toprovide vision correction (prescription lenses) or they can be flat,non-prescription (piano) lenses. Eyeglass lenses are typically made fromglass or various types of optical grade plastic, and may be coated toincrease scratch resistance, block UV light transmission, or reducereflections. Eyeglass lenses may be manufactured by a grinding process,wherein material is carefully removed from a preformed “blank” (alreadyof approximately the shape of the lens) to yield a lens with the correctshape. Eyeglass lenses may also be manufactured by a molding process,wherein a mold of the correct shape of the lens is filled with fluidplastic or glass; the fluid is then hardened by cooling or curing theplastic or glass. Once manufactured to the correct shape, eyeglasslenses typically require polishing to achieve a smooth surface.

Diffractive Elements

An optical element is a material which, when exposed to light, refracts,diffracts, attenuates or otherwise modifies the properties of the light.A diffractive element is an optical element that is comprised of aseries of ridges or fringes that form an optical element by diffractinglight. Non-limiting examples of diffractive elements include a hologram,a holographic optical element, a volume diffraction grating, a surfacerelief diffraction grating, a transmission grating, or a reflectiongrating.

Diffractive elements are generally fabricated using light-reactivesubstances, which when exposed to light under the correct conditionsform a series of very small and carefully spaced fringes that functionas a diffractive optical element. Non-exclusive examples of lightreactive substances are silver-halide emulsions and photopolymers. Thesmall size and careful spacing of the fringes makes the fringesdelicate; i.e., any deformation of the diffractive element will causedamage which is generally irreversible. Deformation could be caused bymechanical forces or high temperatures which may cause the fringes orthe material between the fringes to melt or expand.

Wearable Heads-UP Displays

A head-mounted display is an electronic device that is worn on a user'shead and, when so worn, secures at least one electronic display within aviewable field of at least one of the user's eyes, regardless of theposition or orientation of the user's head. A wearable heads-up displayis a head-mounted display that enables the user to see displayed contentbut also does not prevent the user from being able to see their externalenvironment. The “display” component of a wearable heads-up display iseither transparent or at a periphery of the user's field of view so thatit does not completely block the user from being able to see theirexternal environment. Examples of wearable heads-up displays include:the Google Glass®, the Optinvent Ora®, the Epson Moverio®, and the SonyGlasstron®, just to name a few.

The optical performance of a wearable heads-up display is an importantfactor in its design. When it comes to face-worn devices, however, usersalso care a lot about aesthetics. This is clearly highlighted by theimmensity of the eyeglass (including sunglass) frame industry.Independent of their performance limitations, many of the aforementionedexamples of wearable heads-up displays have struggled to find tractionin consumer markets because, at least in part, they lack fashion appeal.Most wearable heads-up displays presented to date employ large displaycomponents and, as a result, most wearable heads-up displays presentedto date are considerably bulkier and less stylish than conventionaleyeglass frames.

A challenge in the design of wearable heads-up displays is to minimizethe bulk of the face-worn apparatus will still providing displayedcontent with sufficient visual quality. There is a need in the art forwearable heads-up displays of more aesthetically-appealing design thatare capable of providing high-quality images to the user withoutlimiting the user's ability to see their external environment.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method of embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens may besummarized as including: encasing the diffractive element with aprotective material to produce a diffractive element stack; coating thediffractive element stack with a first amount of resin; at leastpartially curing the first amount of resin; mounting the at leastpartially cured diffractive element stack in a mold; filling the moldwith a second amount of resin; curing the second amount of resin toproduce the eyeglass lens with the diffractive element embedded therein;and removing the eyeglass lens from the mold.

Coating the diffractive element stack with the first amount of resin mayinclude: placing the diffractive element stack in a preliminary mold;and filling the preliminary mold with resin; and the method may furtherinclude: removing the diffractive element stack from the preliminarymold after at least partially curing the first amount of resin.

Embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens may further include:increasing a surface energy of the diffractive element stack beforecoating the diffractive element stack with a first amount of resin.Increasing the surface energy of the diffractive element stack mayinclude at least one process selected from a group consisting of: plasmatreatment, UV-ozone treatment, and applying primer to the surface of theprotective material. Encasing the diffractive element with a protectivematerial may include encasing the diffractive element with apolycarbonate material.

Embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens may further includethermally annealing the eyeglass lens. Mounting the at least partiallycured diffractive element stack in a mold may include mounting the atleast partially cured diffractive element stack in a transparent mold.Partially curing the first amount of resin and curing the second amountof resin may include a photo-curing process. Mounting the at leastpartially cured diffractive element stack in a mold may include adheringthe at least partially cured diffractive element stack in the mold witha photo-curable adhesive.

Coating the diffractive element stack with a first amount of resin mayinclude coating the diffractive element stack with a cross-linkableacrylic resin material. Filling the mold with a second amount of resinmay include filling the mold with a cross-linkable acrylic resinmaterial. Embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens mayfurther include applying a curvature to the diffractive element.

An eyeglass lens for use in a wearable heads-up may be summarized asincluding: a diffractive element having a world-side and an eye-side; aworld-side protective layer physically coupled to the world-side of thediffractive element; an eye-side protective layer physically coupled tothe eye-side of the diffractive element; a first world-side resin layerphysically coupled to the world-side protective layer, the firstworld-side resin layer having a world-side and an eye-side; a secondworld-side resin layer physically coupled to the world-side of the firstworld-side resin layer; a first eye-side resin layer physically coupledto the eye-side protective layer, the first eye-side resin layer havinga world-side and an eye-side; and a second eye-side resin layerphysically coupled to the eye-side of the first eye-side resin layer.

The world-side protective layer may include a world-side surface and aneye-side surface, and wherein the world-side surface of the world-sideprotective layer may have a higher surface energy than the eye-sidesurface of the world-side protective layer. The eye-side protectivelayer may include an eye-side surface and a world-side surface, andwherein the eye-side surface of the eye-side protective layer may have ahigher surface energy than the world-side surface of the eye-sideprotective layer. The diffractive element may include a photopolymermaterial. The world-side protective layer and the eye-side protectivelayer may both include a polycarbonate material.

Each of the first world-side resin layer, the first eye-side resinlayer, the second world-side resin layer, and the second eye-side resinlayer may include a respective thermally-annealed resin layer. Each ofthe first world-side resin layer, the first eye-side resin layer, thesecond world-side resin layer, and the second eye-side resin layer mayinclude a respective cross-linked acrylic resin material. Thediffractive element may include at least one hologram. The diffractiveelement may be curved.

A wearable heads-up display may be summarized as including: a supportstructure that in use is worn on a head of a user; an image sourcecarried by the support structure; an eyeglass lens carried by thesupport structure, wherein the eyeglass lens is positioned within afield of view of an eye of the user when the support structure is wornon the head of the user, and wherein the eyeglass lens comprises: adiffractive element stack comprising a diffractive element sandwichedbetween a world-side protective layer and an eye-side protective layer;a first world-side resin layer physically coupled to the world-sideprotective layer of the diffractive element stack; a second world-sideresin layer physically coupled to a world-side of the first world-sideresin layer; a first eye-side resin layer physically coupled to theeye-side protective layer of the diffractive element stack; and a secondeye-side resin layer physically coupled to an eye-side of the firsteye-side resin layer.

The world-side protective layer may include a world-side surface and aneye-side surface. The world-side surface of the world-side protectivelayer may have a higher surface energy than the eye-side surface of theworld-side protective layer. The eye-side protective layer may includean eye-side surface and a world-side surface. The eye-side surface ofthe eye-side protective layer may have a higher surface energy than theworld-side surface of the eye-side protective layer. The diffractiveelement may be comprised of a photopolymer material. The world-sideprotective layer and the eye-side protective layer may both be comprisedof a polycarbonate material. Each of the first world-side resin layer,the first eye-side resin layer, the second world-side resin layer, andthe second eye-side resin layer may include a respectivethermally-annealed resin layer. Each of the first world-side resinlayer, the first eye-side resin layer, the second world-side resinlayer, and the second eye-side resin layer may include a respectivecross-linked acrylic resin material. The diffractive element may includeat least one hologram. The diffractive element may be curved.

A method of fabricating an eyeglass lens with a diffractive elementembedded therein may be summarized as including: applying a protectivelayer to the diffractive element; applying an interface layer to theprotective layer, wherein the interface layer comprises a resinmaterial; and applying a lens layer to the interface layer, wherein thelens layer comprises the resin material, and wherein the interface layerprovides adhesion between the protective layer and the lens layer.

Applying the protective layer to the diffractive element may includeapplying a polycarbonate layer to the diffractive element. Applying theinterface layer to the protective layer may include: coating theprotective layer with a first amount of the resin material; and at leastpartially curing the first amount of the resin material. Applying thelens layer to the interface layer may include: mounting the diffractiveelement in a mold; filling the mold with a second amount of resin; andcuring the second amount of resin to produce the eyeglass lens with thediffractive element embedded therein. Mounting the diffractive elementin a mold may include mounting the diffractive element in a transparentmold. At least one of at least partially curing the first amount ofresin and curing the second amount of resin may include a photo-curingprocess. Mounting the diffractive element in a mold may include adheringthe diffractive element to the mold with a photo-curable adhesive.

A method of fabricating an eyeglass lens with a diffractive elementembedded therein may further include: increasing a surface energy of theprotective layer before applying the interface layer to the protectivelayer. Increasing the surface energy of the protective layer may includeat least one process selected from a group consisting of: plasmatreatment, UV-ozone treatment, and applying primer to the surface of theprotective material.

A method of fabricating an eyeglass lens with a diffractive elementembedded therein may further include thermally annealing the eyeglasslens. Applying the interface layer to the protective layer may includeapplying a cross-linkable acrylic resin to the protective layer.Applying the lens layer to the interface layer may include applying across-linkable acrylic resin to the interface layer.

A method of fabricating an eyeglass lens with a diffractive elementembedded therein may further include applying a curvature to thediffractive element.

An eyeglass lens for use as a transparent combiner in a wearableheads-up display may be summarized as including: an inner layercomprising a diffractive element; a protective layer that encapsulatesthe diffractive element; an interface layer that encapsulates theprotective layer, wherein the interface layer comprises a resinmaterial; and a lens layer that encapsulates the interface layer,wherein the lens layer comprises the resin material, and wherein theinterface layer provides adhesion between the protective layer and thelens layer.

The protective layer may include a surface physically coupled to theinterface layer and a surface physically coupled to the inner layer, andwherein the surface of the protective layer that is physically coupledto the interface layer has a higher surface energy than the surface ofthe protective layer that is physically coupled to the inner layer. Thediffractive element may include a photopolymer material. The protectivelayer may include a polycarbonate material.

The interface layer and the lens layer may both be respectivethermally-annealed layers. The diffractive element may include at leastone holographic optical element. The diffractive element may be curved.

A wearable heads-up display may be summarized as including: a supportstructure; an image source; and a transparent combiner positioned andoriented to appear in a field of view of an eye of a user when thesupport structure is worn on a head of the user, the transparentcombiner comprising: an inner layer comprising a diffractive element; aprotective layer that encapsulates the diffractive element; an interfacelayer that encapsulates the protective layer, wherein the interfacelayer comprises a resin material; and a lens layer that encapsulates theinterface layer, wherein the lens layer comprises the resin material,and wherein the interface layer provides adhesion between the protectivelayer and the lens layer.

The protective layer may include a surface physically coupled to theinterface layer and a surface physically coupled to the inner layer. Thesurface of the protective layer that is physically coupled to theinterface layer may have a higher surface energy than the surface of theprotective layer that is physically coupled to the inner layer. Thediffractive element may comprise a photopolymer material. The protectivelayer may comprise a polycarbonate material. Both the interface layerand the lens layer may be respective thermally-annealed layers. Thediffractive element may include at least one holographic opticalelement. The diffractive element may be curved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elementsor acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawingsare not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of variouselements and angles are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some ofthese elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improvedrawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements asdrawn are not necessarily intended to convey any information regardingthe actual shape of the particular elements, and have been solelyselected for ease of recognition in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow-diagram showing a method of embedding a diffractiveelement in an eyeglass lens in accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary eyeglass lens with anembedded diffractive element suitable for use as a transparent combinerin a wearable heads-up display in accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods.

FIG. 3 is a partial-cutaway perspective view of a wearable heads-updisplay that includes an eyeglass lens with an embedded diffractiveelement in accordance with the present systems, devices, and methods.

FIG. 4 is a flow-diagram showing a method of embedding a diffractiveelement in an eyeglass lens in accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary eyeglass lens with anembedded diffractive element suitable for use as a transparent combinerin a wearable heads-up display in accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedembodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures associated with portable electronicdevices and head-worn devices, have not been shown or described indetail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, suchas, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open,inclusive sense, that is as “including, but not limited to.”

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structures, orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or”is generally employed in its broadest sense, that is as meaning “and/or”unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are forconvenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of theembodiments.

The various embodiments described herein provide systems, devices, andmethods for embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lens and areparticularly well-suited for use in wearable heads-up displays(“WHUDs”).

Eyeglass Lenses with Embedded Diffractive Elements

Additional functionality may be imparted to an eyeglass lens byembedding a diffractive element in the eyeglass lens. The additionalfunctionality provided by the diffractive element may, for example,enable the eyeglass lens to be used in advanced optical devices,including performing the role of transparent optical combiner in a WHUD.

Typical methods for embedding a layer of material in an eyeglass lensinclude hot-pressing, welding, lamination, injection molding, andgluing; typically with the use of high temperature and/or harshchemicals that allow products to be manufactured quickly andinexpensively. Exposure to high temperature and harsh chemicals willgenerally deform a diffractive element, causing irreparable loss ofoptical performance to the diffractive element.

A protective material may be used to protect a diffractive element. Aprotective material is a material that provides the diffractive elementwith increased resistance to high temperature and/or harsh chemicals.However, the introduction of a protective material may interfere withthe process of embedding the diffractive element in the eyeglass lens;this interference may include preventing good adhesion between the lensand the diffractive element.

In applications for which the diffractive element is delicate and easilydamaged, it is generally desirable to embed the diffractive element inthe eyeglass lens using a gentle process. For example, a resin materialmay be used to produce the lens, and the diffractive element may beembedded in the eyeglass lens by placing it within liquid resin and thencuring the resin. Curing the resin will ensure that the diffractiveelement maintains its position within the eyeglass lens.

Curing a resin causes the liquid resin material to harden into a solid(e.g., a crystalline solid such as PET or a glassy solid such as PMMA),where the hardening only occurs when the liquid resin is subjected tospecific conditions. Non-limiting examples of conditions that causeliquid resin to harden include raising the temperature of the liquidresin, exposing the liquid resin to air, or exposing the liquid resin tolight (e.g., light of a wavelength in a particular waveband, such asultraviolet light). The conditions that cause curing may be applied forless time and/or with less intensity (e.g., lower temperature or lessintense light), in which case the resin may be only partially cured.Partially cured resin may be desirable in some applications, for exampleto promote adhesion between the partially cured material and anothermaterial. Further exposure to conditions that cause curing may then beapplied to finish curing the resin. The liquid resin can be poured intoa mold before curing, imparting the shape of the mold to the resultingeyeglass lens. If a different eyeglass lens shape is desired, such as adifferent focal length for a prescription eyeglass lens, the samemanufacturing process can be used with little to no modification;typically only the mold needs to be changed.

The optical properties of the cured resin influence the performance ofthe eyeglass lens. Important optical properties include, but are notlimited to: transmittance across the visible light spectrum, resistanceto yellowing, and birefringence. Cured resins must also possess anyrequired physical properties such as mechanical strength, shockresistance, thermal stability and chemical stability. Resins typicallyshrink as they cure, which can complicate their use as an eyeglass lensmaterial. One complication that may result from shrinkage during curingis the introduction of internal stresses to the material during curing,which is caused by the partially cured and already hard material beingforced to shrink as it cures further. These internal stresses can beremoved by thermally annealing the eyeglass lens after curing. Anon-limiting example of a liquid resin that, once cured, possessesnecessary physical and optical properties for use as an eyeglass lensthat functions as a transparent combiner in a WHUD is cross-linkedacrylic resin.

A person of skill in the art will appreciate that there are significanttechnical challenges inherent in fabricating eyeglass lenses with anembedded diffractive element by curing a liquid resin. Resin castingtechniques may use a thermal curing process which requires the lenses tobe held at high temperature for long periods of time, irreparablydamaging the diffractive element. A non-exclusive example of a curingprocess that does not require high temperature is photo-curing, wherethe resin is cured by exposing the resin to light. Photo-curinggenerally releases significant amounts of heat, which may damage theoptically active material if the curing is too fast, however a fastcuring speed is generally desirable to increase the speed of themanufacturing process.

The manufacturing of a diffractive element embedded in an eyeglass lensgenerally requires the use of a protective material which separates thesensitive diffractive element from the harsh chemical and thermalconditions that are found in the resin during curing. This protectivematerial may advantageously meet or exceed the same optical and physicalrequirements as the resin. Non-exclusive examples of protectivematerials suitable for use in optical applications include PMMA, MET,triacetate, and polycarbonate.

Manufacturing of an eyeglass lens containing an embedded diffractiveelement may be performed using a single step casting process; however,in some cases the resulting eyeglass lenses may show an adhesive failureat the interface between the cured resin and the protective layer. Thisfailure is typically caused by a chemical interaction between theprotective layer and the resin that inhibits curing of the resin.Inhibition of curing directly at the interface between the protectivematerial and the resin creates a zone of uncured material with very lowmechanical strength at the interface. Stresses which pull the materialin a particular direction (directional stresses) can develop during thecuring of the bulk of the resin and may pull the resin away from theprotective material, and because the interface zone has very lowmechanical strength the resin may pull away from the protective layerand de-laminate.

To avoid adhesion failures due to “un-cured” resin at the interfacebetween the resin and the protective material, the resin layer may becured (or “pre-cured”) while it is very thin relative to a conventionaleyeglass lens. In accordance with the present systems, devices, andmethods, a “two-act” curing method may be employed. The first actincludes curing a first amount of resin that is of a shape and size suchthat the resin curing process does not result in de-lamination (e.g., athin coat of resin), and the subsequent second act includes curing asecond amount of resin that is of a shape and size such that it achievesthe desired component shape.

FIG. 1 is a flow-diagram showing a method 100 of embedding a diffractiveelement in an eyeglass lens in accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods. Method 100 includes seven acts 101, 102, 103, 104,105, 106, and 107 though those of skill in the art will appreciate thatin alternative embodiments certain acts may be omitted and/or additionalacts may be added. Those of skill in the art will also appreciate thatthe illustrated order of the acts is shown for exemplary purposes onlyand may change in alternative embodiments.

At 101, the diffractive element is encased with a protective material toproduce a diffractive element stack. The “protective material” describedherein is a material that imparts increased stability to the diffractiveelement as a result of the direct physical coupling between theprotective material and the diffractive element. The physical stabilityof the diffractive element may be increased due to the protectivematerial having higher mechanical strength, preventing the diffractiveelement from being deformed or torn. The chemical stability of thediffractive element may be increased due to the protective materialpreventing any chemicals from coming into contact with the diffractiveelement. Non-exclusive examples of protective materials suitable for usein optical applications include polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polycarbonate.

The surface energy of the protective material can influence howeffectively the liquid resin covers the protective material, whereincreasing the surface energy of the protective material such that thesurface energy of the protective material is greater than the surfacetension of the liquid resin may improve the ability of the resin tocover the surface of the protective material. Non-exclusive examples oftreatment techniques that increase the surface energy of the protectivematerial include plasma treatment, UV-ozone treatment, and applyingprimer to the surface of the protective material.

The necessity of act 101 depends on the nature of the diffractiveelement. There are implementations in which a protective material maynot be necessary and, therefore, act 101 is optional.

In some implementations, the diffractive element may be carried on or byanother structure, and such other structure may, for example, provide atleast some of the functionality of a protective material describedabove. For instance, one or more diffractive elements may be carried onor by a waveguide or lightguide structure and may serve as, for example,an in-coupler or out-coupler for such waveguide or lightguide structure.In such implementations, at least a portion (or an entirety) of thewaveguide or lightguide structure may be embedded in the eyeglass lens,and additional protective material may or may not be necessary. Thus,for the purposes of the present systems, device, and methods, includingthe appended claims, the term “diffractive element stack” includes adiffractive material and a combination of optional additional layers orstructures such as protective material, waveguide/lightguide structures,substrates, etc. depending on the specific implementation. Likewise,when the term “diffractive element” is used, the diffractive element maybe carried on or by other structures or layers, or may itself carryother structures or layers, depending on the specific implementation.

At 102, the diffractive element stack is coated with a first amount ofresin. The term “coating” refers to the application of some amount ofresin to at least one surface of the diffractive element stack, thoughgenerally it may be advantageous to apply resin to all surfaces of thediffractive element stack such that the resin completely encapsulatesthe diffractive element stack. Non-exclusive examples of coating methodsinclude dip-coating, spray-coating, spin coating, and placing thediffractive element stack in a mold then filling the mold with resin.

At 103, the first amount of resin is at least partially cured.Non-limiting examples of conditions that cause liquid resin to hardeninclude raising the temperature of the liquid resin, exposing the liquidresin to air, or exposing the liquid resin to light (e.g., light of awavelength in a particular waveband, such as ultraviolet light). Theconditions that cause curing may be applied for less time and/or withless intensity (e.g., lower temperature or less intense light), in whichcase the resin may be only partially cured. Partially cured resin may bedesirable in some applications, for example to promote adhesion betweenthe partially cured material and another material. Further exposure toconditions that cause curing may then be applied to finish curing theresin. A chemical interaction between the protective layer and the firstamount of resin may inhibit curing of the first amount of resin, inwhich case the conditions that cause curing may be applied for more timeand/or with greater intensity.

At 104, the diffractive element stack with an at least partially curedfirst amount of resin is placed in a mold. If the curing process for theresin includes a photo-curing process then curing may involve exposingthe resin to light and the mold may advantageously be transparent toallow the light to reach the resin.

The mounting of the diffractive element stack with an at least partiallycured first amount of resin in the mold may be performed using aflexible adhesive that holds the diffractive element at a fixed positionrelative to at least one part of the mold. The position may then befixed by curing the adhesive by a photo-curing process.

At 105, the mold is filled with a second amount of resin.

At 106, the second amount of resin is cured. When the first amount ofresin is not completely cured at act 103, the curing of the first amountof resin may be finished or completed during the curing of the secondamount of resin at 106.

At 107, the cured eyeglass lens with the diffractive element embeddedtherein is removed from the mold.

Stress crazing is a phenomenon which can occur during the eyeglass lensproduction process. Stress crazing is caused by stresses in the eyeglasslens created during the curing of the resin and subsequent cooling ofthe eyeglass lens to room temperature, and may result in very smallcracks appearing within the internal volume of the eyeglass lens. Stresscrazing may create a hazy appearance in the eyeglass lens and may reducethe transparency of the eyeglass lens, and is therefore generallyundesirable. Stress crazing can be reduced or eliminated by thermallyannealing the eyeglass lens, where the eyeglass lens is placed in arelatively high-temperature environment for an extended period of time.The annealing temperature is typically above the typical operatingtemperature for the resin material but below the glass transitiontemperature of the resin material; a non-limiting example of annealingtemperatures for a resin material is 60° C. to 110° C. for crosslinkedPMMA. The annealing time may be as short as 30 minutes and as long as 24hours; higher annealing temperatures allow for shorter annealing timesto achieve the same reduction in stress crazing.

Eyeglass lenses are typically manufactured with a curved shape. Toaccommodate this, in some implementations the diffractive element may beformed into a curved shape to more easily fit within the internal volumeof the eyeglass lens. However, in alternative implementations thediffractive element (or diffractive element stack) may retain a planargeometry when embedded in a curved eyeglass lens.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary eyeglass lens 200 withan embedded diffractive element 210 suitable for use as a transparentcombiner in a WHUD in accordance with the present systems, devices, andmethods. Eyeglass lens 200 may be produced by method 100. Eyeglass lens200 may be formed into a shape suitable for use as an eyeglass lensblank, and subsequently processed (e.g., by grinding) to apply aprescription curvature. Alternatively, eyeglass lens 200 may be moldedto embody a prescription curvature. Throughout this specification andthe appended claims, the term “eye-side” refers to the side of theeyeglass lens that, when employed in a device worn by a user, facestowards the eye of the user, while the term “world-side” refers to theside of the eyeglass lens that, when employed in a device worn by auser, faces away from the eye of the user and towards the outside world.

Diffractive element 210 is embedded as an inner layer of eyeglass lens200, however diffractive element 210 is not necessarily physicallylocated at the center of eyeglass lens 200. Diffractive element 210 maybe comprised of a photopolymer material. Diffractive element 210 mayinclude at least one hologram, where the hologram performs the functionof the optical element. Diffractive element 210 may be formed into acurved shape to allow it to better fit within the inner volume ofeyeglass lens 200.

Diffractive element 210 is encapsulated by or sandwiched betweenworld-side protective layer 221 and eye-side protective layer 222.World-side protective layer 221 is physically coupled to the world-sideof diffractive element 210 and eye-side protective layer 222 isphysically coupled to the eye-side of diffractive element 210.World-side protective layer 221 covers the entirety of the world-side ofdiffractive element 210 and eye-side protective layer 222 covers theentirety of the eye-side of diffractive element 210; in addition,protective layers 221 and 222 may be physically coupled to each other(e.g., at and/or beyond the edges of diffractive element 210) ifdiffractive element 210 does not extend in all directions to the edgesof eyeglass lens 200. World side protective layer 221 and eye-sideprotective layer 22 may each comprise a polycarbonate material.

Protective layers 221 and 222 are encapsulated by or sandwiched betweenfirst world-side resin layer 231 and first eye-side resin layer 232.First world-side resin layer 231 and first eye-side resin layer 232provide the interface(s) between protective layers 221, 222 and the mainvolume of eyeglass lens 200 and, accordingly, are sometimes referred toas “interface layers” (or collectively, as the “interface layer”)throughout this specification and the appended claims. First world-sideresin layer 231 is physically coupled to the world-side of world-sideprotective layer 221. First eye-side resin layer 232 is physicallycoupled to the eye-side of eye-side protective layer 222. Firstworld-side resin layer 231 covers the entirety of the world-side ofworld-side protective layer 221 and first eye-side resin layer 232covers the entirety of the eye-side of eye-side protective layer 222; inaddition first resin layers 231 and 232 (i.e., the interface layer) maybe physically coupled to each other (e.g., at and/or beyond the edges ofprotective layers 221 and 222) if world-side protective layer 221 andeye-side protective layer 222 do not extend in all directions to theedges of eyeglass lens 200. First world-side resin layer 231 and firsteye-side resin layer 232 may each comprise a cross-linkable acrylicresin.

First resin layers 231 and 232 are encapsulated by or sandwiched betweensecond world-side resin layer 241 and second eye-side resin layer 242.Second world-side resin layer 241 and second eye-side resin layer 242provide the remaining volume of eyeglass lens 200 and, accordingly, aresometimes referred to as “lens layers” (or collectively, as the “lenslayer”) throughout this specification and the appended claims. Secondworld-side resin layer 241 is physically coupled to the world-side offirst world-side resin layer 231. Second eye-side resin layer 242 isphysically coupled to the eye-side of first eye-side resin layer 232.Second world-side resin layer 241 covers the entirety of the world-sideof first world-side resin layer 231 and second eye-side resin layer 242covers the entirety of the eye-side of first eye-side resin layer 232;in addition second resin layers 241 and 242 (i.e., the lens layer) maybe physically coupled to each other (e.g., at and/or beyond the edges offirst resin layers 231 and 232) if first world-side resin layer 231 andfirst eye-side resin layer 232 do not extend in all directions to theedges of eyeglass lens 200. Second world-side resin layer 241 and secondeye-side resin layer 242 may each comprise a cross-linkable acrylicresin.

The world-side of world-side protective layer 221 may be treated to havea higher surface energy than the eye-side of first resin layer 231. Thehigher surface energy may improve adhesion between the world-side ofworld-side protective layer 221 and the eye-side of first resin layer231. The eye-side of eye-side protective layer 222 may be treated tohave a higher surface energy than the world-side of first resin layer232. The higher surface energy may improve adhesion between the eye-sideof eye-side protective layer 222 and the world-side of first resin layer232.

First world-side resin layer 231, first eye-side resin layer 232, secondworld-side resin layer 241, and second eye-side resin layer 242 (e.g.,eyeglass lens 200 as a whole) may be thermally annealed to at leastreduce internal stresses.

FIG. 3 is a partial-cutaway perspective view of a WHUD 300 that includesan eyeglass lens 330 with an embedded diffractive element 331 inaccordance with the present systems, devices, and methods. Eyeglass lens330 may be substantially similar to eyeglass lens 200 from FIG. 2. WHUD300 comprises a support structure 310 that is worn on the head of theuser and has a general shape and appearance of an eyeglasses (e.g.,sunglasses) frame. Support structure 310 carries multiple components,including: an image source 320, and an eyeglass lens 330. Image source320 is positioned and oriented to direct light towards the eyeglass lensand may include, for example, a micro-display system, a scanning laserprojection system, or another system for generating display images. FIG.3 provides a partial-cutaway view in which regions of support structure310 have been removed in order to render visible portions of imagesource 320 and clarify the location of image source 320 within WHUD 300.Eyeglass lens 330 is positioned within a field of view of an eye of theuser when the support structure is worn on the head of the user andserves as both a conventional eyeglass lens (i.e., prescription ornon-prescription depending on the needs of the user) and a transparentcombiner.

FIG. 3 includes a detailed top-down view of eyeglass lens 330.Diffractive element 331 is the innermost layer of eyeglass lens 330 withreference to the individual layers that make up eyeglass lens 330,however diffractive element 331 is not necessarily physically located atthe center of eyeglass lens. Similar to the structure of eyeglass lens200, in eyeglass lens 330 diffractive element 331 is encapsulated by orsandwiched between protective layers 332, 333, which are themselvesencapsulated by or sandwiched between interface layers 334, 335, whichare themselves encapsulated by or sandwiched between lens layers 336,337.

Throughout this specification and the appended claims, the term “layer”generally refers to a thickness of some material that provides and/or isspread over a surface, such as a stratum or a coating on a surface. Alayer may include or cover a single side or face of a structure, such asa dielectric layer in a printed circuit board or a layer of cheese on apizza, or a layer may include or cover multiple sides or faces of athree-dimensional structure, such as a layer of clothing or a layer ofplanet Earth (e.g., the crust, mantle, etc.). Consequently, a layer doesnot need to be a planar substrate. A person of skill in the art willappreciate that the material of one layer may form the surface ofanother layer.

FIG. 4 is a flow-diagram showing a method 400 of embedding a diffractiveelement in an eyeglass lens in accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods. Method 400 includes three acts 401, 402 and 403though those of skill in the art will appreciate that in alternativeembodiments certain acts may be omitted and/or additional acts may beadded. Those of skill in the art will also appreciate that theillustrated order of the acts is shown for exemplary purposes only andmay change in alternative embodiments.

As an illustrative example of the physical elements of method 400,analogous structures from FIG. 3 are called out in parenthesesthroughout the description of acts 401, 402, and 403.

At 401, a protective layer (332, 333) is applied to the diffractiveelement (331). The protective material may be a polycarbonate material.The diffractive element (331) may be of a curved shape, so that thediffractive element (331) is better able to fit entirely within theinner volume of a curved eyeglass lens (330). As described previously,in some implementations that diffractive element may be a part of adiffractive element stack in which the function of the protective layer(332, 333) is already achieved, in which case act 401 may be omitted.

At 402, an interface layer (334, 335) is applied to the protective layer(332, 333). The interface layer (334, 335) may be applied to theprotective layer (332, 333) by coating a first amount of resin onto theprotective layer (332, 333) and then at least partially curing the firstamount of resin. Curing the resin may be accomplished by photo-curingthe resin. The surface energy of the protective material may beincreased before applying the interface layer (334, 335).

The interface layer (334, 335) is of a size and shape that minimizes thedevelopment of directional stresses during curing such that theinterface layer (334, 335) remains adhered to the protective layer (332,333) during curing. In this way, the interface layer (334, 335)generally improves adhesion between the protective layer (332, 333) andthe resin material of the eyeglass lens (330). A non-exclusive exampleof a size that minimizes the development of directional stresses duringcuring is a thin layer (<1 mm). A non-exclusive example of a shape thatminimizes the development of directional stresses during curing is alayer with substantially constant thickness, where substantiallyconstant thickness is defined as the thickest part of the layer being nomore than double the thickness of the thinnest part of the layer.

At 403, a lens layer (336, 337) is applied to the interface layer (334,335). The lens layer (336, 337) may be applied by mounting the at leastpartially cured diffractive element stack (331, 332, 333) in a mold,filling the mold with a second amount of resin, and curing the secondamount of resin. The eyeglass lens (330) may then be removed from themold. The lens layer (336, 337) is of a shape such that the lens (330)has an eyeglass shape. The eyeglass lens (330) may be thermally annealedto reduce the internal stresses in the interface layer (334, 335) andthe lens layer (336, 337). The temperature for thermal annealing mustnot exceed the maximum safe temperature for the diffractive element. Forexample, the maximum safe temperature for the diffractive element may be200° C., 120° C., 90° C., or 60° C., depending on the diffractiveelement material. Mounting the at least partially cured diffractiveelement stack (331, 332, 333) may be performed using an adhesive that isphoto-cured.

As described previously, method 400 may produce an eyeglass lens with adiffractive element embedded therein (such as eyeglass lens 200 fromFIG. 2 or eyeglass lens 330 from FIG. 3) in a similar way to method 100from FIG. 1. FIG. 5 provides illustrative clarification of the“encapsulating” nature of the protective layer, interface layer, andlens layer applied in method 400.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary eyeglass lens 500 withan embedded diffractive element 510 suitable for use as a transparentcombiner in a WHUD in accordance with the present systems, devices, andmethods. Eyeglass lens 500 may be produced by method 400. Eyeglass lens500 may be formed into a shape suitable for use as an eyeglass lensblank, and subsequently processed (e.g., by grinding) to apply aprescription curvature. Alternatively, eyeglass lens 500 may be moldedto embody a prescription curvature.

Eyeglass lens 500 comprises an inner layer 510 which may include, forexample, a photopolymer material. The diffractive element may berecorded in or otherwise carried by the inner layer (e.g., a holographicoptical element including one or more hologram(s), a diffractiongrating, or similar). In some implementations, inner layer 510 may becarried on or by a waveguide or lightguide structure. Inner layer 510 isencapsulated by protective layer 520, which may include, for example, apolycarbonate material. Protective layer 520 is encapsulated byinterface layer 530, which may include, for example, a first thicknessof resin material. Interface layer 530 is encapsulated by lens layer540, which may include, for example, a second thickness of the sameresin material. Advantageously, interface layer 530 may be substantiallythinner than lens layer 540. For example, the thickness of interfacelayer 530 may be less than 34%, less than 10%, or less than 5% of thethickness of lens layer 540. In accordance with the present systems,devices, and methods, the relative thinness of interface layer 530compared to lens layer 540 enables interface layer 530 to be morereliably and completely cured and improves adhesion between the resinmaterial of eyeglass lens 500 and protective layer 520.

A person of skill in the art will appreciate that the variousembodiments for embedding a diffractive element in an eyeglass lensdescribed herein may be applied in non-WHUD applications. For example,the present systems, devices, and methods may be applied in non-wearableheads-up displays and/or in other applications that may or may notinclude a visible display.

In some implementations, one or more optical fiber(s) may be used toguide light signals along some of the paths illustrated herein.

The WHUDs described herein may include one or more sensor(s) (e.g.,microphone, camera, thermometer, compass, altimeter, and/or others) forcollecting data from the user's environment. For example, one or morecamera(s) may be used to provide feedback to the processor of the WHUDand influence where on the display(s) any given image should bedisplayed.

The WHUDs described herein may include one or more on-board powersources (e.g., one or more battery(ies)), a wireless transceiver forsending/receiving wireless communications, and/or a tethered connectorport for coupling to a computer and/or charging the one or more on-boardpower source(s).

The WHUDs described herein may receive and respond to commands from theuser in one or more of a variety of ways, including without limitation:voice commands through a microphone; touch commands through buttons,switches, or a touch sensitive surface; and/or gesture-based commandsthrough gesture detection systems as described in, for example, USPatent Application Publication No. US 2014-0198034 A1, US PatentApplication Publication No. US 2014-0198035 A1, US Patent ApplicationPublication No. US 2015-0370326 A1, and/or US Patent ApplicationPublication No. US 2017-0097753 A1, all of which are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

Throughout this specification and the appended claims the term“communicative” as in “communicative pathway,” “communicative coupling,”and in variants such as “communicatively coupled,” is generally used torefer to any engineered arrangement for transferring and/or exchanginginformation. Exemplary communicative pathways include, but are notlimited to, electrically conductive pathways (e.g., electricallyconductive wires, electrically conductive traces), magnetic pathways(e.g., magnetic media), and/or optical pathways (e.g., optical fiber),and exemplary communicative couplings include, but are not limited to,electrical couplings, magnetic couplings, and/or optical couplings.

Throughout this specification and the appended claims, infinitive verbforms are often used. Examples include, without limitation: “to detect,”“to provide,” “to transmit,” “to communicate,” “to process,” “to route,”and the like. Unless the specific context requires otherwise, suchinfinitive verb forms are used in an open, inclusive sense, that is as“to, at least, detect,” to, at least, provide,” “to, at least,transmit,” and so on.

The above description of illustrated embodiments, including what isdescribed in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Although specificembodiments of and examples are described herein for illustrativepurposes, various equivalent modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as will be recognized bythose skilled in the relevant art. The teachings provided herein of thevarious embodiments can be applied to other portable and/or wearableelectronic devices, not necessarily the exemplary wearable electronicdevices generally described above.

For instance, the foregoing detailed description has set forth variousembodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of blockdiagrams, schematics, and examples. Insofar as such block diagrams,schematics, and examples contain one or more functions and/oroperations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that eachfunction and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, orexamples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a widerange of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combinationthereof. In one embodiment, the present subject matter may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodimentsdisclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implementedin standard integrated circuits, as one or more computer programsexecuted by one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs runningon one or more computer systems), as one or more programs executed by onone or more controllers (e.g., microcontrollers) as one or more programsexecuted by one or more processors (e.g., microprocessors, centralprocessing units, graphical processing units), as firmware, or asvirtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitryand/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be wellwithin the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art in light of theteachings of this disclosure.

When logic is implemented as software and stored in memory, logic orinformation can be stored on any processor-readable medium for use by orin connection with any processor-related system or method. In thecontext of this disclosure, a memory is a processor-readable medium thatis an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical device or meansthat contains or stores a computer and/or processor program. Logicand/or the information can be embodied in any processor-readable mediumfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or deviceand execute the instructions associated with logic and/or information.

In the context of this specification, a “non-transitoryprocessor-readable medium” can be any element that can store the programassociated with logic and/or information for use by or in connectionwith the instruction execution system, apparatus, and/or device. Theprocessor-readable medium can be, for example, but is not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus or device. More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the computer readable medium would include thefollowing: a portable computer diskette (magnetic, compact flash card,secure digital, or the like), a random access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM,or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM),digital tape, and other non-transitory media.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. To the extent that they are not inconsistent withthe specific teachings and definitions herein, all of the U.S. patents,U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreignpatents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publicationsreferred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application DataSheet which are owned by Thalmic Labs Inc., including but not limitedto: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/534,099, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/946,549, U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/946,557, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/946,562, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/946,565, U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/946,569, US Patent Application Publication No. US 2014-0198034 A1, USPatent Application Publication No. US 2014-0198035 A1, US PatentApplication Publication No. US 2015-0370326 A1, and/or US PatentApplication Publication No. US 2017-0097753 A1, US Patent ApplicationPublication No. US 2017-0068095 A1, and PCT Patent ApplicationPublication No. WO 2017-106692 A1, are incorporated herein by reference,in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of the variouspatents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1. A wearable heads-up display (“WHUD”) comprising: a support structure;an image source; and a transparent combiner positioned and oriented toappear in a field of view of an eye of a user when the support structureis worn on a head of the user, the transparent combiner comprising: aninner layer comprising a diffractive element; a protective layer thatencapsulates the diffractive element; an interface layer thatencapsulates the protective layer, wherein the interface layer comprisesa resin material; and a lens layer that encapsulates the interfacelayer, wherein the lens layer comprises the resin material, and whereinthe interface layer provides adhesion between the protective layer andthe lens layer.
 2. The WHUD of claim 1 wherein the protective layerincludes a surface physically coupled to the interface layer and asurface physically coupled to the inner layer, and wherein the surfaceof the protective layer that is physically coupled to the interfacelayer has a higher surface energy than the surface of the protectivelayer that is physically coupled to the inner layer.
 3. The WHUD ofclaim 1 wherein the diffractive element comprises a photopolymermaterial.
 4. The WHUD of claim 1 wherein the protective layer comprisesa polycarbonate material.
 5. The WHUD of claim 1 wherein both theinterface layer and the lens layer are respective thermally-annealedlayers.
 6. The WHUD of claim 1 wherein the diffractive element includesat least one holographic optical element.
 7. The WHUD of claim 1 whereinthe diffractive element is curved.